Friday, December 5, 2008

We are in Rocky Mount, NC today! We arrived in Jacksonville, FL on Monday afternoon and spent the remainder of the week getting the boat ready to leave at Beach Marina which is 6 miles from Nelson’s sister, Loretta’s house. We also spent time visiting her and her Husband, Mac when we weren’t on the boat. It was wonderful taking a long, hot, bath at their house and using all the hot water I wanted. We had a good visit with them. We picked up the rental car Thursday morning, loaded what we need to take to Rocky Mount, and headed north, on the road for a change. We stopped in Brunswick, Georgia and visited some friends, Connie & Ed, from Washington, DC. They had taken their 40 foot Catalina there and were leaving it there over the holidays. We hope to see them again when we return to Florida. We had a wonderful lunch in Brunswick at Christie’s right on main street. It was fun getting together again. They were with us when we were in Mexico. We spent last night looking through all the mail we had received since we were home and reading those things we were interested in. Our neighbors, Keith & Jane Abbott were saving it for us. We really do appreciate them getting it for us while we were away.Today, we had to take the rental car back to Avis and take Nelson’s car to the garage to get a flat tire repaired and oil changed. I need to get groceries as we do not have much to eat here at the house. We did manage to find enough to have good ole Smith’s sausage for breakfast. It is great to be home. We are looking forward to being with our families and friends over the Christmas Holidays. We hope to see you all soon.Love,Nelson & Ondra

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Just thought I'd let you know that we too, are having cold, rainy weather today. We decided to stay put here at the mooring field in Fernandina Beach, FL this morning when we heard about the bad weather coming our way. We have had some strong winds and a rainy afternoon. Our boat continues to turn in circles. No, we are not seasick yet! It is a good day to stay inside and do something like sleep, rest, read, or work on Christmas cards. Yes, I am addressing envelopes as I did not get Will to make me labels this year. I have more time on my hands than I used to have. Nelson had to take the dinghy to the docks three times this morning before the rain set in to get us water. Yes, we let our tanks get completely empty. It was too windy to go against the docks with the boat so he delivered 3 seven gallon jugs which we poured into the tanks. Now, we can make it until tomorrow when the weather,I hope, will be better. Stay dry and we will try to do the same. Hopefully we will get to Jacksonville tomorrow!Always,Nelson & Ondra

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Hey Everyone,We finally pulled our anchor after six days and are heading south again. But, we did not go very far. We are in a mooring field at Fernandina Beach, Florida. After arriving here today about 12:00, we took our dinghy to the docks and walked through the downtown area. They have a neat shopping area here. The street is loaded with neat little shops and places to spend your money. All I wanted was a hamburger for lunch. We found a place and I had a delicious hamburger and Nelson a shrimp burger. We took a long walk to get rid of some of the calories we had eaten. We went back to the boat, rested, took baths, and started cooking dinner for Marie and Chris at our boat. I made shrimp Alfredo with the shrimp Nelson bought from the St. Marys people this morning. No, he did not get enough so Chris & Marie bought over a few more they had in the freezer. Nelson did not get his money's worth today. I also cooked broccoli and then, brownies for desert. It was a good meal and we all ate a lot. They left for their boat about 9:00 and Nelson has already lain down and started his night nap. I have to find something to entertain myself every night because he is asleep by 9:30 or sometimes earlier. We are not sure whether we will be here tomorrow or not. If the weather is alright, we will leave but it is not, we may stay one more day. It is not a bad place to be and we can always find something in town to do. Scott and Will, the pictures you sent are so cute of the great-grandchildren. I know Mom and Dad have enjoyed having you all there. We are looking forward to seeing you all Christmas! We are so excited about your news, Matt & Amy. Twins are really going to really change your lifestyle. But we are all excited for you. See you all soon! Love to you all.Nelson & Ondra

Thursday, November 27, 2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!We missed being with our families today but were glad to have others to spend Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful meal with all kinds of foods. It was too much to even think about eating. There were so many people there. I heard there are 80 boats here and we had 286 people for lunch today at 1:00. At 11:00 this morning, we went to an oyster roast and it was the best!The people of St. Marys furnished and cooked turkeys and hams to serve and we boaters carried dishes of food and deserts. It was way too much food but everyone enjoyed it. I took pictures there and of the harbor showing all the boats here but cannot find them right now. I hope I will locate them later. Hope everyone else had a great day and are full of turkey like us. Have a great day!We love you all,Nelson & Ondra

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILL, We love you!Today is laundry day for Ondra. I have 3 bags of dirty clothes and have a 10:00 time to catch the van to go to the laundrymat. Nelson is taking me to the dock and then returning to the boat and get the oil changed while I am out of the way. I got back to the boat just as he was finishing up several projects. We took a break and had lunch. We took it easy for the next sevceral hours and then took showers and got ready to return to the resturant for another night of socializing with other boaters. We are getting to know new and more people every night as each day, more and more boats are coming into St. Marys. I have been disappointed that I have not found the station on TV that has Dancing With the Stars. I knew this was the last week and I did not get to see the final show. I lguess I will have to call someone today to find out the results or look it up on the computer. i muskt stop as the computer is dying again. Take care.Ondra & Nelson

Hello Everyone,We pulled anchor this morning and motored to St. Marys. It only took us 2 hours and we were there. It is a unique and friendly little town. There are sailboats and trawlers here everywhere. We set our anchors and got our dinghy ready to head over to the docks to check what is available for us to do. We rode in an available van to the Wal-mart to stock up on grocery and other supplies we needed. Boy, did we have a lot of bags to haul back to the boat and find places to store. But, we did it and everything is put away! Later around five, we headed downtown to the restaurants where all our boaters friends were to get acquainted. We met some very nice people who are going to Florida or the Islands. The couple who are heading this Thanksgiving event up have done a wonderful job. They have a van here and Lynn, the man carries people back and forth to various stores and laundries all day everyday. Nothing is close and we would have to get cabs if he wasn't here to oblige us. There was an older man in a golf cart at the street when we unpacked our groceries and he took us and the bags down the docks as far as he could get which saved us having to make so many trips with all the bags. He would not let us pay him anything for helping us. People here are so friendly and helpful to all us boaters. I guess they know we will spend our money while here. And we do!

On Sunday morning, we pulled the anchors and headed south to Cumberland Island where we plan to anchor for the night. Since we were not traveling far today, we had a late breakfast and cleaned up the dishes before heading down the ICW. We also had another boat join us for the trip. After talking with them on the radio, they decided to also go into Cumberland Island and we all got together on Spirit for dinner that night. Tom and Debbie Baas live on their boat; Heart’s Desire and is going over to the Bahamas after Christmas. They are from Indiana. I am surprised at the number of people that we have met who live on their boats. I don’t think I will ever be ready to be on the boat all the time. I like having my house and my things there. I forgot to mention as we were going by Jekyll Island Marina yesterday, we saw Dave & Donna Corbett, Sea Wings, at the docks. They had engine problems again and were there for several days waiting for parts to fix their problem. We yelled at them as we passed and Nelson talked to them on the radio. It is funny how we keep seeing the same people who are traveling south over and over again on our journey. Well, we heard them say they were leaving this morning to further their trip and were only an hour ahead of us. They had another bad luck experience today as they ran aground and could not get off. They were at Day marker #60 when we got there waiting for the water to rise so they could move on. Thank goodness, he warned us so we did not do the same. He had gone too close to the marker and hit the bottom. We have traveled link some shallow waters today. Also the tide is low. We arrived at Cumberland Island at 3:00. After getting anchored, a motor boat stopped by our boat and asked us if we would like to buy some shrimp. We bought over a pound of just caught, heads on shrimp for $5.00. They were beautiful and yes, we beheaded them and cooked them right away. What a wonderful snack! We carried them over to the pot luck dinner on Spirit and they all were eaten. Marie had cooked a seafood linguine dinner, I made greenbeans, and Debbie made brownies. We had a good time getting to know each other. What a fun night with friends on the water!

Friday, November 21, 2008Although the sky is a pretty blue, it is freezing cold and we have pulled up the anchor and are heading south on the ICW. We have traveled all day and are tired of being cold. We look like Eskimos. We anchored by the ICW around 5:00 and cut lit the burners on the stove to heat the inside of the cabin. We invited Chris and Marie over to our boat for dinner so I started cooking right away. We have pork shops, macaroni and cheese and green beans for dinner. After cleaning up the dishes, Marie offered to trim my hair as I had been complaining that it needed trimming. She did a good job. Chris started calling me “their boy.” It does feel much better. After they left, we watched TV and both woke up at 12:00 and went to bed. Nelson goes to sleep on the couch every night, but not me. I guess we were tired from the long day travel. Nelson and I have remained warm at night as we have a goose downed comforter on our bed and it is great! We haven’t gotten cold during the night yet.

Saturday, November 22, 2008We pulled the anchor land headed south looking for the first Marina we could find. Yes, we needed fuel. Yes, it is still freezing cold and we are all bundled up to stay warm. I wonder when we are going to feel warm weather. I thought we would feel be feeling it by now. We are thankful for the beautiful blue skies, no rain! We had country ham rolls and coffee while traveling this morning. We finally stopped at St. Simons Island at the fuel docks for both boats to refuel the fuel and water tanks. Also at the docks we saw friends whom we had docked with in Savannah (Lyn & Ken). They had spent the night at here. It was a nice place to stop but too early to stay so we traveled on for another hour or two. Our anchor for the night was just beyond the bridge near Jekyll Island. We secured the boat and got the dinghy ready for travel and headed to a dock which we could leave the dinghy and sightsee around the Island. Yes, we walked and walked and walked. I thought we would never get into the shopping area. Well, there isn’t much shopping here. There are mostly golf courses and houses. It is a very clean, neat place to visit. We finally came to a Hotel and decided to go in for a drink. After finding the bar, we were glad to sit and rest. We met a nice couple there who were from St. Marys and we told them we were going there for Thanksgiving. She is a dentist there and his sales insurance. We talked to them for an hour and then as it was getting dark, we mentioned to needed to get back to the boat and it was going to be a long walk. The hotel had vans to take people places around the Island and they carried us back to the dock where our dinghy was tied up. Thank goodness! It would have been a long walk and especially in the dark. Yes, another good restful night!

We decided not to leave until 11:00 this morning due to the incoming tides. So, I cooked a big country breakfast and we had Chris and Marie join us on our boat for breakfast. We had several things to do before leaving the docks but we did leave around 11:00. It was a beautiful day on the water. The sky was blue and the sun was shining bright. We only had to wear light jackets. It was such a change for us. We kept saying how beautiful the day was. We continued moving our boat along the ICW with Spirit until about 5:00. We found a nice little creek called Red Bird Creek where we have anchored for the night.Marie called to say that she was cooking dinner for us. What a nice surprise for me! We paddled our dinghy over to their boat about 7:00 and ate beef tenderloin, fried zucchini, and potatoes. We were all tired from the 45 miles we traveled today so we were back on our boat by 9:30. This was one of our best days on the water thus far! Naturally with no wind, we did no sailing. That was okay, also.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008It is still freezing cold and we have decided to stay another day in Savannah and tour the town today. We slept late, ate breakfast, showered and bundled for the cold weather. Before leaving the docks, we met the other couple who were staying at the dock with our two boats. They were from Canada and had been living on their boat for the past five years. They had docked the same morning earlier than us. They had been sailing in the ocean for the past 30 hours and were getting tossed about too much and also freezing too. After talking with them, we headed down the street to find a Trolley to take us around Savannah. We rode for 90 minutes and listen to a guy tell us about many of the places we saw as we rode. There sure are a lot of squares in the city. And, they all have a special name and/or statue for someone famous. We got off the Trolley on Market Place and went into a café to eat lunch. We all had something different but very good. We went into several antique shops where Nelson bought an old oil can and I bought some cordial glasses. I think we spent $4.00 for 4 glasses and the can. After, we walked back to the boat where Nelson went to work to flush the water line to our air-conditioner so we could have heat again. He was lucky and we did get our heat back. Yes, we did need it. Our heat cut off about 4:30 this morning and I knew it when I came out from under the covers. I baked a lemon pound cake and made a Mexican dip. We invited Chris and Marie over to eat with us and they wanted to play Farkel again, Nelson won both games. They left early as we were planning to leave in the morning. We will not visit Savannah again on our boat as they do not have good docks for boaters probably due to all the large ships constantly going in and out of the town. Boy, they are large cargo ships loaded with too many containers.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hello!We departed Beaufort, SC on Monday, Nov.17 headed further south on the ICW. We really enjoyed our stay in Beaufort. We will probably stay there again on our journey home. Everyone on their boats and also the Marina people were so nice and friendly as well as helpful. Today the weather is very cold, but sunny. There is a beautiful ,blue sky. We are motoring along with another 42 ft. Catalina sailboat called “Spirit”. It belongs to Chris and Marie, a very nice couple that we met at the docks in Beaufort. Their boat goes faster than us so they are ahead of us by 30 minutes. They have already called us to let us know that they will find a good anchorage for the night and informed us when they pull in so we could anchor the night there also. We did anchor around Hilton Head Island, SC around 3:00. It was too cold to go much farther. They came over to our boat for afternoon snacks and we went to their boat later for dinner. We had duck with orange sauce and broccoli, sweet potatoes or white potato. It was very good.

Tuesday, November 18, we continued our trip on to Savannah in the freezing cold weather and also very breezy winds. Nelson did most all the steering today and I stayed inside trying to keep us warm with hot chocolate and fixing a hot meal at lunch trying to keep us warmer. At least, it was not raining! We left the ICW headed down the Savannah River. We both docked at the Hyatt Water Front Marina. After getting the boat secured, Nelson went to the office to check us in and when he came back to the boat, he noticed a large metal drum beating the side of our boat. It was wedge between the boat and the dock. It took he and several others to get a rope to it while me and others pushed the boat far enough to pull it out and move it further down the dock and tie it off so it would not come back down the water front again. We were lucky that it did not do any big damage, only scratches to the side of the boat. Another reason not to stay here again.But, the weather was so bad, we were just glad to be tied to a dock and out of the heavy winds and freezing cold. We connected to electricity and fired up the heater right away. Boy, did it feel good. We went for al long walk down the River Street where there were many shops and markets with people selling their crafts. It was a nice place to walk. We did buy some chocolate peanuts at the peanut shop. Boy, were they good! After our walk, Nelson napped and I check our e-mails. We had a late spaghetti dinner and then our friends came over and we played “Farkel” (a dice game) until 11:00.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

After a rainy, windy night at anchor, we got a slip at the City Marina for tonight. Wouldn't you know, no wind today. We have had a nice afternoon enjoying our tour of Beaufort.

We took the carriage ride around the historic district and learned a lot about Beaufort. The houses here are all so unique and beautiful. They remind me some of the Charleston homes but different in their own way. We had a delicious dinner tonight at Saltus. It was a restaurant here near on the waterfront. They have the most wonderful waterfront park here that we have ever seen. There are paved walkway with railings of chain along the water, swings and benches are all along the walk, a playground with neat things for children to play on. The American Star Cruise Liner was here this afternoon, but pulled out about dark headed toward Jacksonville, FL. We have met some really nice people here on the docks today. Most of them are also headed to Florida or the Bahamas. We plan to leave in the morning and head further south. We are not sure just how far we will go. Will keep you posted.Love,Nelson & Ondra

Saturday, November 15, 2008

We departed Charleston headed on our southern journey on Friday morning. The weather was windy, cool, and very cloudy all day. We had a 30 minute wait at the Wappoo Creek Bridge. We have had several phone calls from friends and were glad to hear from each of them. We heard that two other of our friends are heading south on their sailboats. One is in Wrightville Beach and the others are leaving December1.We did not have a very exciting day as the weather was bad and the waters were very shallow in many places. But, we did not run aground. Thank goodness!We pulled into our Edisto River anchorage around 3:45 and were glad to be there for the night. It was a great place to anchor; however, we were the only boat there for the night.The bad weather never got any better. We had heavy winds continually and during the night, it rained and sounded very stormy. I got up about 3:00 a.m. because I could not sleep with the water splashing against the boat and the howling winds. I drifted in and out of sleep on the couch until the winds subsided. This morning, we left going south again and the weather started out being ugly, but as the trip continued, by 11:00 the sun was shining bright and we were in our short sleeves. We saw many more boats on the water today also heading south. We had to lower the dinghy into the water before we departed to empty all the rain water. Nelson also added more air to the tubes on the dinghy. I thought Nelson would fall into the water as he was trying to jump from the sailboat into the dinghy and back again. We did not want to disconnect the towing bars so it was a good distance for him to reach. He made it though. Winds were on our nose most of the trip. We did motor sail for maybe an hour.We came into Beaufort around 3:00 and they still had no slip for us at the marina so we decided to anchor close by where others were anchored. Nelson had just gotten the anchor to hold when the winds jumped up to 30 knots and the rains started to blown in.It looked like all the boats who were anchored were sailing again but they were also anchored and the winds were just blowing us everywhere. We did not run into anyone nor have them run into us. It only lasted for a few minutes. We still hope we can get a slip at the marina before night sets in. If not, the weather is supposed to clear soon. I guess it will be tomorrow before we get into town to visit. We have decided to stay here in Beaufort for another day since we haven’t been here before. We are still enjoying our adventures even with the nasty weather. We have talked with two different boats here in Beaufort since we anchored that we had met at other places since we started our trip. Most boaters are very friendly.Take care. We will keep you posted on our sailing adventures.Love,Nelson and Ondra

Saturday, November 15, 2008 Well, my computer is charging and we are continuing our journey south on the ICW to Beaufort, SC this morning.Let me finish my log from yesterday. We were in Charleston and were going for an afternoon cocktail at the Fleet Landing resturant on the waterfront by the city docks. We were sitting outside enjoying our drinks when a loud horn blew to the left of us. It was 5:00 and the largecrew ship was pulling away from the docks for somewhere. No one seem to know where it was going. It was very large and we watched as it disappeared out of sight. After scanning the menu, we decided to eat at this place. What a delicious meal! We had tuna and grouper. They both were very good. After dinner, we walked through the markets downtown and was a little too late as they were closing for the day. Nelson was glad as he did not have to buy anything.After walking around not knowing where we were going, we called the City Marinas van to come pick us up. That was a good idea as we would never have found our way back to the docks and I was too tired to walk much further. We both had our exercise for the day.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Hey Everyone,I cannot believe we have not written anything since Veterans Day. Well, Nov.11, we left Butlers Island where we anchored and set sail for Georgetown. The weather was wonderful. It was sunny but cool as we motor sailed down the Waccamaw River. Nelson let Ondra be the helmsman most of the trip. Yes, it was a short trip for us. We got into Georgetown at 3:45 and decided to stay at the Harbor Walk Marina docks so we could have easy asses to the town which was right in front of the docks. After getting the boat secure, we quickly showered and headed into town. What a pretty little seaport town! We had a late fresh fried shrimp lunch at Thomas Cafe. It was delicious. Then, we walked down the streets of town and back the boardwalk back to the boat. Ondra bought some knitting supplies and is trying to remember how to knit with the help of a book also purchased. Nelson changed the fuel filter with a little assistance from Ondra. We had a leisure evening with soup and grill cheese on the boat.On Wed. morning, Nov.12, we departed Georgetown motor sailing out into Winyah Bay and back into the ICW South. The weather was cold. We had to wear coats, gloves, and hats to stay warm. We traveled until 4:00 and did not see as many boats as we had seen on the other days of our travels. I guess others decided to stay put and out of the cold. We stayed at an anchorage called Deewees Creek just off the ICW. We had an early spaghetti dinner, talked to our grandson, Jackson on the telephone, and watched the country music awards. Nelson slept while Ondra watched TV.(as usual)Thursday, Nov.13, it was extremely foggy so we were later leaving than usual. After getting out into the ICW and not being able to see the markers, we immediately went over to a cove to the Left of the ICW and dropped the anchor for another hour until the fog was mostly clear. At 12:00 .m.we motored in the Charleston Harbor. We called the City Marinas several times trying to get a slip for the night but were told to call later to see if they might have a cancellation for the night. Sure enough, the closer we got, our last call got us a side the dock tie-up. We were pleased to get it as it saved us from having to put the dinghy and motor in the water for one night. There were over 400 boats slipped at these docks. After getting the boat secure and getting showers, we walked to the Battery and walked the entire walkway to the Charleston City Park docks. We were so tired that we found swings and rested and enjoyed watching the people and waterfront.We took pictures of Patriots Point which was across from the Park docks and enjoyed the scenery. My computer is dying. I will finish later. Take care.Nelson & Ondra

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

We had a leisure morning today. Nelson let me sleep until 7:00. After a delicious breakfast of country ham, grits, egg, and bagels and english muffin, we pulled the anchor and headed down the river, south, toward Georgetown. Nelson let me do most of the trip while he gave directions.I thought I was doing a good job. With the GPS, it is really like reading a map and staying on the road. It was a little cool but the sun was shining bright. We only had to wear light jackets and of course, long pants. We are looking forward to warmer weather.We arrived at Harborwalk Marina around 10:45. A short trip for us! After getting the boat safely tied to the docks, we showered and took off to the town area and enjoyed walking along the walks and finding Thomas Cafe to eat a wonderful shrimp dinner. I went into a knitting shop and bought some yarn and needles and am going to try my hand at knitting something which might be my Christmas presents. Georgetown is a neat little harbor town. We enjoyed walking by to the boat using the boardwalk by the water. Nelson changed the engine fuel filter after we returned from town. We plan to leave here in the morning and go half of our trip to Charleston. We will be anchoring out tomorrow night which we neither mind.Take care and will continue to keep you informed.Love,Ondra and Nelson

Monday, November 10, 2008

Hello Everyone,We departed Cricket Cove Marina at Little River, SC this morning after having a wonderful visit with Justin and Lindsey. We left the docks about 6:45 a.m. (ugh), I don't like getting up early but we had to get an early start to get through the rock piles of Myrtle Beach while the tide was high. We had a nice trip down the ICW seeing much of the Commercial side of Myrtle Beach including many beautiful housing developments. We are still traveling alone but not really because there are still lots of boat traveling our same direction. We traveled across the Waccamaw River and saw lots of Palmetto trees covered in Spanish moss. We decided to anchor early today in an area off the river called Butler Island. There is nothing here but two other boats and lots of water and trees. The air has gotten cooler since the sun disappeared. We had a good dinner and are getting ready to watch Dancing with the Stars. We are sleeping later tomorrow and going about five miles further into Georgetown. We plan to stay there for the night. Hope to do some sightseeing tomorrow afternoon. This is our first trip there. Thanks for all you comments. We love hearing from you too!Love,Nelson & Ondra

Saturday, November 8, 2008

We had a great surprise today. Our friends from Raleigh and Rocky Mount stopped by our boat which is docked at Little River, SC on their way back from Hilton Head this afternoon. Benny & Joyce Johnson, Hank & Jane Hastings, and Henry & Lucy Hinson were on their way to Calabash and stopped for a visit. We were so glad to see them. Lindsey and Justin had just finished helping Nelson and me get our things organized and also helped clean the outside deck of the boat.

We love having company and invite any of our friends to come join us on any part of our trip that they can. You can even spend the night as long as you don't mind being rocked to sleep. (By the boat, of course!)

Greetings from South Carolina! What a beautiful day on the water! We departed from Wrightsville Beach at 7a.m. headed south with several other sailboats. We were fourth in a long line of boats that followed one another until Calabash Creek.

There were five sailboats from Canada in our fleet. A few times, we had to wait to get through bridges; once at a pontoon bridge in Sunset beach and another time at a bridge in Holden beach that was closed due to construction.

As the day went on, the weather got warmer and warmer causing us to be constantly changing clothes. We saw tons of beautiful homes along the ICW and there were fisherman everywhere. We had to zig zag around them to get where we were going. We saw several boats pulling gill nets for spots. They really did not look like they were catching that many.

Justin had gotten us a reservation at the Cricket Cove Marina in Little River, SC. We turned too soon and ended up in Calabash Creek which was very shallow water. Once we realized our mistake, we got back into the ICW and continued on to Little River. As we were going down the ICW we heard someone yelling at us. Believe it or not, it was Justin and his new fishing partner. They had just pulled in their nets having caught 350 lbs of spot. They told us we were only 2 miles from the marina. Justin told us to start looking for the marina after we passed the two casino boats. Sure enough, there were two HUGE casino boats right at the docks waiting for people to arrive. Justin was waiting for us at the marina and helped us get tied up to the docks. We are spending the weekend with Lindsey and Justin at Myrtle Beach and will leave on Monday morning.

After two days of wind and rain we departed from Mile Hammock Bay, NC motorsailing to Wrightsville Beach. The weather was overcast and we wore jackets all day. Thank goodness the rain had ceased! There were tons of boats, sailboats and motor yachts, all headed south. A cruise liner called the American Star passed us. It was about 3 stories high! We didn't know that they traveled the ICW. It looked like a hotel coming down the waterway and we were not sure if it would be able to pass but it sure did. We arrived in Wrightsville Beach around 3:30 in the afternoon and stopped at Sea Path Marina where Justin used to work. We got fuel and water and were able to see Lynn Perry, one of Justin's friends, who insisted we tie up at their docks for the night. It was great being able to sleep in peace and quiet for the first time in several days. As a matter of fact, it was our first time at dockage since we have begun this trip! We walked several blocks to the Blue Water restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious sea food dinner. Coming back to the boat, I saw a sign welcoming us to Wrightsville Beach. Only then did I realize that we had literally WALKED to Wilmington for dinner!! We needed the exercise.

We returned to the boat and prepared to leave the next morning for Myrtle Beach.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Saturday morning, Oct.25, Will & family took us to their house to spend the night. We enjoyed our stay with them. They returned us back to NEW BERN on Sun. afternoon, where we picked up Dennis & Denise from Polaris and went for a seafood dinner before returning to the boat. Monday-Thursday, we were involved in a GAM. There, we met 100 other boats who were heading south for the winter. Some sailboats, and some motor boats. We learned some interesting things and had a great time talking to others who had been south before. Yes, we received lots of advice.Wednesday afternoon, Will picked me back up from the boat and I went back to Atlantic beach for two nights. I went with Stacey to carry Jackson to school sand then we went back and had lunch with him. He is in a nice school and I enjoyed getting to meet his teachers and see his classroom. He appears to love going to Kindergarten. We picked him up later that afternoon and he and I enjoyed spending time together. We all four went to the Aquarium for a special Halloween trick or treat celebration. They had a small carnival and all the kids were dressed in their Halloween costumes. Friday morning after taking Jackson back to school, we headed back to New Bern where Nelson was waiting for me to help him get the boat underway for our trip to Florida. Nelson had worked hard all day Thursday, changing the oil and tending to various jobs on the boat. I think he was glad to see me return.What a time we had pulling the anchor. It had been wrapped with chains of cinderblocks and metal and we could not do anything but stare in disbelief. After having already gotten the dinghy ready for travel, we had to put it down and start all over again. Nelson tried cutting the chains with a hacksaw and metal cutters with no success. He finally took the dinghy around over the anchor and laid over the front and unwound the chain enough for them to drop back into the water. After getting the anchor up, we then raised the dinghy again and got underway by 11:00. Oh, by the way, our other friends who were going with us to Florida, hadmajor engine problems and went back to Jordan Creek and we are traveling alone. They hope to continue their trip by January.We traveled as far as Daniels Point in the Neuse River on Friday and anchored for the night. It was a nice place to spend the night. The river was very calm and we slept well.Saturday, Nov.1 we motorsailed to Beaufort, NC and anchored in Taylors Creek with many other boaters who had stopped for the night. Will and Jackson came over to spend the night with us. Sunday morning, Nov.2 we went sailing in the ocean. We had a great sail and the weather was wonderful. Sammy, a friend of Will's came by our boat and gave us a thirty pound king mackerel. He and Will cut it into steaks and we grilled some for dinner. It was very good.Will was great help for us as he ran errands and brought us groceries during our stay in Taylor's Creek. We hated to see Will and Jackson leave us that night after dinner.Monday, November 3 we departed Beaufort and motorsailed down the ICW through the rain.Nelson was glad that Will had given him a foul weather suit to keep him dry as well as warm.We traveled as far as the Mile Hammock Bay where we pulled in for the night. There were so many boats who had gotten here before us that we did not find the best spot for anchoring, but we did get anchored and had a long rainy, windy night. Because the weather is still the same, we are staying here another night and hope we can leave tomorrow, Nov.5th. We have been busy all morning and afternoon checking our accounts on the computer, putting out another anchor and getting all the water out of the dinghy. Yes, we are still excited about our trip! Take care and we will continue when our journey starts again. Miss you all.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Left Jordan Creek at 7:15am this morning, heading to New Bern, NC. Weather wasn't the greatest, cold and a little rainy, but we made it OK. Heading up the Neuse River was windy, we motor-sailed most of the way. Made our anchorage at 6:00pm after a long day on the water.

We're in New Bern for the week for the NC GAM Southbound Cruisers' Rendezvous.